Why would a wealthy man buy a brand-name suit?

I'm puzzled by what appeal there could be for brand-name, designer clothing among men who can afford personal tailoring on a regular basis. I wear both. Only about a quarter of my suits and jackets are bespoke. If I had the cash I would never wear a stitch of off-the-rack clothes again. I enjoy all of my wardrobe but, but even my most well-fitting RTW clothes would be superior if they had been hand-made for me personally. I have one excellent Ralph Lauren sportcoat that cost more than a similar bespoke sportcoat made for me in a humble, hole-in-the wall shop in Korea: the RL can't compete with the other, in terms of fit, sillhouette, and craftsmanship. And the tailoring on the other wasn't even fully bespoke. There's no clothing brand in the world whose style can't be replicated by a competent tailor. It seems to me that some men believe that a brand-name carries some sort of intangible and unique "essence" that can be found nowhere else. That's just mystification. My two cents.

Last time I was at Korea, people are wearing ill fitting lifeless suits with fabrics resembles more of an armor than cloth.

Originally Posted by vitaminc

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Last time I was at Korea, people are wearing ill fitting lifeless suits with fabrics resembles more of an armor than cloth.

That's still 100% true.

Hint: they're wearing off-the-rack.

And yet some tailors there are able to produce top-notch clothes.

Just because YOU have access to bespoke, and cheap bespoke/custom at that, does not mean everybody else does.

One of the biggest reason for RTW is the ready availability. Sure it may not fit you exactly as would bespoke, but not everybody can fly off to London or NYC or somesuch.

Additionally, brand-name carries brand name images. If you take a poll of 100 people, practically everybody will have heard of Gucci. Probably 5 have heard of Anderson&Sheppard, at best. Some wealthy people like the flash. It's like wearing a Rolex vs a Parmiagiani. Everybody knows the former and a true connoisseur would be aware of the latter.

Because having wealth does not imply an interest in clothes or personal appearance. No more does being poor imply that someone does not aspire to the best they can save to afford.

Originally Posted by lee_44106

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Just because YOU have access to bespoke, and cheap bespoke/custom at that, does not mean everybody else does.
One of the biggest reason for RTW is the ready availability. Sure it may not fit you exactly as would bespoke, but not everybody can fly off to London or NYC or somesuch.

Obviously- but notice the thread title.

Originally Posted by lee_44106

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Additionally, brand-name carries brand name images. If you take a poll of 100 people, practically everybody will have heard of Gucci. Probably 5 have heard of Anderson&Sheppard, at best. Some wealthy people like the flash. It's like wearing a Rolex vs a Parmiagiani. Everybody knows the former and a true connoisseur would be aware of the latter.

Exactly - flash.

I used to wonder about this as well until I took the plunge myself. As far as I can tell, the problem is finding a competent tailor, having the time for a number of fittings and / or traveling to that tailors locale, and cost.

Some of us can find RTW suits that fit almost perfectly. With a little tailoring, the suit will fit fine. Will it be a bespoke fit? Probably not though it will work just fine for most. Rather than deal with the hassle of a bespoke proect i'd usually prefer RTW + a bit of tailoring

The same thread was started a few days ago

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=96342

Originally Posted by lightsaber

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Obviously- but notice the thread title.




Exactly - flash.

Are you implying that the "wealthy" man can just jet off to London or NYC and get bespoke? True bespoke takes time with a few fittings. Even if the tailor can come to you bespoke still requires time to makes. We're talking weeks here.

To say that the wealthy buys RTW brand-name purely for flash is false thinking. He may just want something quick. He can go into a store and just buy the clothes versus waiting weeks for his bespoke.

Read "The Millionaire Next Door". Their research shows very, very few millionaires spend more than a few hundred dollars for suits or more than $100 for their shoes and that is why they are wealthy!

I think my sig sums it up

Originally Posted by lightsaber

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I'm puzzled by what appeal there could be for brand-name, designer clothing among men who can afford personal tailoring on a regular basis.

I wear both. Only about a quarter of my suits and jackets are bespoke. If I had the cash I would never wear a stitch of off-the-rack clothes again. I enjoy all of my wardrobe but, but even my most well-fitting RTW clothes would be superior if they had been hand-made for me personally. I have one excellent Ralph Lauren sportcoat that cost more than a similar bespoke sportcoat made for me in a humble, hole-in-the wall shop in Korea: the RL can't compete with the other, in terms of fit, sillhouette, and craftsmanship. And the tailoring on the other wasn't even fully bespoke.

There's no clothing brand in the world whose style can't be replicated by a competent tailor. It seems to me that some men believe that a brand-name carries some sort of intangible and unique "essence" that can be found nowhere else. That's just mystification.

My two cents.

This is simply wrong, the most out there "designer" suit simply can't be replicated by tailors and they have no interest in learning to do so, which is fine that way.

Same reason a dog would lick his balls.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Same reason a dog would lick his balls.

Or rock stars marry supermodels?

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Same reason a dog would lick his balls.

This my favorite post for 2009